Janikowski nails 61-yard field goal

SEBASTIAN JANIKOWSKI

David White, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published 4:00 am, Monday, December 28, 2009

Photo: David Richard, AP

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Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski (11) watches his 61-yard field goal with holder Shane Lechler as time runs out in the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard) less

Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski (11) watches his 61-yard field goal with holder Shane Lechler as time runs out in the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, ... more

Photo: David Richard, AP

Janikowski nails 61-yard field goal

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So this is why the Raiders used a first-round pick on a kicker way back when.

Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 61-yard field goal with maybe a yard of clearance to spare. He set the team record as time expired in the first half of Sunday's 23-9 loss to the Browns.

It's the third-longest kick in NFL history, 2 yards off the record shared by Tom Dempsey (1970 Saints) and Jason Elam (1998 Broncos). The Buccaneers' Matt Bryant kicked a 62-yarder in 2006.

"I thought it was short at first," said Janikowski, the left-footer drafted in 2000. "Then it just barely cleared it."

Janikowski thought the kick was supposed to be shorter than it was. He took the field thinking it was a 58-yard attempt. In pregame warmups, he thought 60 yards was the "max," kicking in the western direction in light wind.

Then Janikowski saw holder Shane Lechler spot up at the Raiders' 49-yard line.

Browns coach Eric Mangini was pretty steamed. His team botched a squib kick to give Oakland the ball at the Raiders' 42 with 14 seconds left. Three plays later, Janikowski took the field with one second on the clock.

Janikowski broke his team record of 57 yards, set last season against the Mangini-coached Jets. So Mangini should have known better and just kicked deep to the team's last-ranked kick-return unit.

"No, I'm not real happy with it," Mangini said. "With Janikowski's leg, he can hit it from anywhere, so that wasn't a very good job by us from a coaching perspective."